Collapsible tube dispenser



g- 3, 1955 n. M. SENCABAUGH 3,198,391

COLLAPS IBLE TUBE DISPENSER Filed June 14, 1963 INVENTOR. DWIGHIT M. SENCABAUGH 20 I2 BY WM 149M n". M. mu mu mm t ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,198,391 CQLLAPSIBLE TUBE DISPENSER Dwight M. Seneabaugh, 15319 Edgewater Drive, Lakewood '7, (Phio Filed dune 14, 1963, Ser. No. 287,818 3 Claims. (Cl. 222-1tl5) This invention relates to a dispensing device and more particularly to devices vfor assisting in the manual removal or dispensing of material in paste form from collapsible tubes.

Many paste-type materials, such as tooth paste, adhesives and the like, are distributed in disposable collapsible tubes from which the material is removed or dispensed by a person squeezing the tube. Unless one carefully removes or dispenses the material from the tubes by applying pressure at or adjacent to the rear ends of the tubes as the material is progressively removed or dispensed therefrom and/or periodically squeezes the material in the tube up into the front end thereof and progressively rolls "up the dispensed portion of the tube, the tube is not completely emptied of its contents and there is also likelihood that the tube will be ruptured or broken prior to the time that it is completely empty; This latter possibility is particularly true if the paste material is relatively stilf.

Prior devices for dispensing or assisting in the dispensing of material in tubes of the character referred to have, for the most part, been relatively complicated and therefore expensive to manufacture and dilficult to use.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is the provision of a novel and improved holder for collapsible tubes containing material in paste form which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to operate and which comprises a base or support member adapted to be held in the hand of the person dispens ing the material from the tube and against which the tube is pressedby the thumb and which base or support member has a slot opening into one edge thereof for receiving a flattened portion of the tube. This slot not only holds the tube assembled with the member but also prevents material in a portion of the tube forwardly of the slot from flowing into the portion of the tube rearwardly of the slot, that is, at the opposite .side of the slot from the side at which the front portion of the tube is positioned, assuming that part of the material in the tube has already been removed or dispensed. As the material is dispensed or removed from the tube the rear end of the tube is periodically squeezed to push the remaining material the-rein into the front end of the tube and, if desired, the flat rear end of the tube rolled up, and the tube reinserted in the slot in the dispenser. Until part of the material in the tube has been dispensed, merely the closed end of the tube is positioned in the slot.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a novel dispensing device of the character referred to having indentations for facilitating the manual gripping of the device and thus the dispensing of the material from the tube with which it is employed.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a novel dispensing device of the character referred to which is curved so as to better fit the hand of the person using the same and thus facilitate the dispensing of the material from the tube from which it is used.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing device or tube holder embodying the invention and having a tube assembled therewith and from which mate-rial is to be manually dispensed;

d fifi l Patented Aug. 3, 1965 ice FIG. 2 is a plan view of the dispensing device shown in FIG. 1; 7

FIG. 3 is a side view of the dispensing device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 looking from the right-hand side of FIG- URE 2; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are views similar to FIGS. 2 and 3 but showing a second embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a disposable collapsible tube '10 containing paste-like material to be dispensed, e.g. tooth paste in a conventional tooth paste tube, assembled with a dispensing device embodying the present invention and designated generally by the reference character A. The dispensing device shown comprises a rectangular plate-like body or base member 12 provided with a slot 16 adjacent to one end thereof and opening into one of its sides. The slot 16 is preferably provided with a bevel 1% at its open end to facilitate the insertion of the closed or a fiat portion of a tube of material from which it is desired to manually remove or dispense, e.g., the tube Ill. The slot 16 as shown in the preferred embodiment terminates in a tapered end 19 into which the side of the tube is wedged to assist in holding the tube assembled in the slot 16.

When the tube is full the flattened or closed end thereof is inserted in the SlOfElfi until the tube is secured in the tapered end of the slot and the material is removed from the tube by the person dispensing the material pressing the tube against the body or base member 12 of the dispensing device. As the material in the tube is dispensed the tube is removed from the slot '16 periodically and any material in the rear end of the tube is squeezed into the front end and the tube reinserted in the slot '16 with the flattened portion of the tube immediately adjacent to the rear end of the material remaining in the tube located in the slot. The rear flattened end of the tube is preferably folded or rolled up, as indicated at 17 in FIG. 3, before the tube is inserted in the slot 16 of the dispensing device.

The width of the slot '16 in the dispensing device A is such that the closed end or a flattened part, of the tube 'can be easily inserted therein but is more or less snugly retained therein. This structural relationship prevent-s the material in the front end of the tube from flowing rearWar-dly when the front end of the tube is squeezed against the holder A into that part of the tube at the other side of the slot regardless of whether the flattened end of the tube at the other side of the slot is or is not rolled up.

The dispensing device may be made of any suitable material such as metal, plastic and the like, and preferably is curved about an axis generally parallel with the length of the slot 16 to provide a convex surface against which the tube with which it is employed is pressed by the thumb of the hand of the person dispensing the material in the tube and to facilitate the gripping or holding of the device. The device is also preferably provided with one or more indentations 20 in one of the elongated sides thereof adjacent to the end of the body portion 12 opposite the end adjacent to which the slot 16 is locate-d. The indentations 20 are adjacent to the end of the body portion at which the discharge neck of the tube is located and for right-handed people are on the left-hand side of the device, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. If the device is made especially for left-handed people, the indentations or notches 2% may be made in the opposite side of the device. Alternatively, notches may be provided in both sides thus making a single device more readily usable by both rightand left-handed people.

While a dispensing device similar to the device A, shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings, made in any suitable given size is usable with tubes of various sizes, it is amass-1 =1? to be understood that the dispensing device may be made in ditferent sizes.

A device, designated generally by the reference character B, particularly adapted for use with relatively large, e.g. Giant size tubes, is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. The device B is similar to the device A with the exception of the fact that the plate-like body portion 12', corresponding with the body portion 12 of the device A, is elongated and provided with a plurality of slots, 16', in the present instance three, similar to the slots 16, previously referred to. In using the device B, the full tube is initially inserted in the slot 16 nearest the end thereof and as the material in the tube is gradually dispensed and the tube thus shortened, it can be progressively reinserted in slots closer to the end of the body portion or plate memher at which the dispensing end of the tube'is normally positioned. Using a construction similar to that shown in FIGS. 4 and it will be obvious that it is possible to maintain the dispensing end of the tube more close-1y adjacent to the end of the dispenser as material in the tube is dispensed than is the case with a dispensing device having merely a single slot. A dispensing device similar to that shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is preferably provided with three or more notches or finger receiving recesses similar to the notches 20 of the dispenser A, so that there will be a notch or notches conveniently located regardless of which of the slots the tube is engaged in and/or where the person dispensing the material grips the dispensing device and the tube assembled therewith.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the objects heretofore enumerated and others have been accomplished and that there has ben provided a novel and improved dispensing device for assisting in the manual removal or dispensing of material in paste form from disposable, collapsible tubes. While two preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described in considerable detail, it is to be undertsood that the invention can be otherwise embodied and it is the intention to hereby cover all improvements thereof coming within the scope of the appended claims.

i Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a dispensing device for assisting in the manual removal of material in paste form from a disposable collapsible tube, e.g. tooth paste from a conventional collapsible tube, a plate-like base or body member against which a tube of material is adapted to be pressed by the person dispensing the material in the tube, said base or body member having one or more spaced narrow slots adjacent to one end thereof opening into one of its sides and adapted to receive a flattened portion of the tube, at least one side of said slot being of a length corresponding to the Width of a tube insertable therein whereby material in the tube at one side of said slot or slots is prevented from flowing into the tube at the other side of said slot or slots.

2. In a dispensing device for assisting in the manual removal of material in paste form from a disposable collapsible tube, e.g. tooth paste from a conventional collapsible tube, an elongated rectangularly-shaped plate- -like base or body member against which a tube of material is pressed by the person dispensing the material in the tube, said base or body member having one or more spaced narrow slots adjacent to one end thereof opening into one of its elongated sides adapted to receive a flattened portion of the tube whereby material in the tube at one side of said slot or slots is prevented from flowing into the tube at the other side of said slot or slots, said base or body member having one or more indentations in one of its elongated sides adjacent to the end thereof opposite to the end adjacent to which said slot or slots are located, said indentations being adapted to receive a finger or fingers of the person dispensing the material in the tube.

3. In a dispensing device for assisting in the manual removal of material in paste form from a disposable collapsible tube, e.g. tooth paste from a conventional collapsible tube, an elongated rectangularly-shaped plate-like base or'body member against which a tube of material is pressed by the person dispensing the material in the tube, said base or body member having one or more spaced narrow slots adjacent to one end thereof opening into one of its elongated sides adapted to receive a flattened portion of the tube whereby material in the tube at one side of said slot or slots is prevented from flowing into the tube at the other side of said slot or slots, said base or body member having one or more indentations in one of its elongated sides adjacent to the end thereof opposite to the end adjacent to which said slot or slots are located, said indentations being adapted to receive a finger or fingers of the person dispensing the material in the tube, and said base or body being curved about an axis generally parallel with the length of said slot or slots.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,280,956 10/18 Brand 248-108 1,433,167 10/22 Worden 222-405 1,952,071 3/34 Hunter 20679 X 2,077,715 4/37 Rubens 22299 2,524,345 10/50 Essman 20679 X 3,088,632 5/63 Hickey 222-100 3,101,869 8/63 Baker 222 RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A DISPENSING DEVICE FOR ASSISTING IN THE MANUAL REMOVAL OF MATERIAL IN PASTE FORM FROM A DISPOSABLE COLLAPSIBLE TUBE, E.G. TOOTH PASTE FROM A CONVENTIONAL COLLAPSIBLE TUBE, A PLATE-LIKE BASE OR BODY MEMBER AGAINST WHICH A TUBE OF MATERIAL IS ADAPTED TO BE PRESSED BY THE PERSON DISPENSING THE MATERIAL IN THE TUBE, SAID BASE OR BODY MEMBER HAVING ONE OR MORE SPACED NARROW SLOTS ADJACENT TO ONE END THEREOF OPENING INTO ONE OF ITS SIDES AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A FLATTENED PORTION OF THE TUBE, AT LEASE ONE SIDE OF SAID SLOT BEING OF A LENGTH CORRESPONDING TO THE WIDTH OF A TUBE INSERTABLE THEREIN WHEREBY MATERIAL IN THE TUBE AT ONE SIDE OF SAID SLOT OR SLOTS IS PREVENTED FROM FLOWING INTO THE TUBE AT THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID SLOT OR SLOTS. 